365 times a year we wake up to a new day, a day with infinite potential. And as soon as we are awake, even before opening our eyes, most of us think and remember all the things that are negative! What about Monday mornings, where we wake up 52 times a year to a new week? Getting out of bed again crawling, reluctantly starting the routine of the day, of the week?

Yet with every breath we take, we can decide to start anew and I can’t think of any other time better than when we open our eyes in the morning.

The trick is giving yourself enough time in the morning, before going ahead with your day. Allow yourself to stretch, to practice a light exercise if possible, even if for 5-10 minutes, hydrate yourself by drinking plenty of water, take a short and sweet shower, meditate for 10 minutes. Give yourself a positive attitude, look at your face in the mirror and smile, take time to have a nicely brewed tea or coffee. Listen to some uplifting music that will give you joy and energy.

If you do all or even a few of these activities every morning, you will feel better, more positive, content and ready for the long and most probably stressful day that is waiting for you. But it is obvious that in order to be able to get up earlier, you need to go to bed a little earlier too so that you get enough sleep before waking up into a new day. That is a given.

By the way, as soon as I complete my relaxing morning routine, I like to tackle the hardest task of the day first if possible, so that the rest of my day goes smoother.

But being relaxed in the morning requires a little bit of preparation from the night before. Such as; having your clothes ready for the next morning, deciding on what to have for lunch and better yet preparing a healthy lunch to take with you lowers your stress level in the morning considerably. Additionally, going to bed a little earlier, leaving your electronic devices outside of your bedroom and reading a book for a little while before going to sleep helps you unwind.

I would suggest you focus on a dream of yours, right before going to sleep. Visualize as if it has already happened. Then let yourself fall asleep embraced with those positive thoughts.

You will get up rested, as a new you the next morning. And after going through your morning self-care cycle, you will be ready for whatever comes your way.